Neo's Return
by Wolfbert
Summary: Neo has returned to the Matrix. Now he finds an unlikely ally in his quest to destroy it.


I'm back. Neo thought to himself  
  
   
  
It's been a while but I'm finally back in the Matrix.  
  
   
  
After Morpheus fired off the EMP on the Nebuchadnezzar the ship was dead in the proverbial water. We had tried to resurrect the ship's systems to at least get us moving but all of the electronics where fried. Fortunately someone came looking for us and we were able to get a lift back to Zion.  
  
   
  
Thinking of Zion and the time he spent with Trinity brings a brief smile to Neo's face. Now we have a new ship and a new crew to replace our fallen comrades. There was a ceremony for Switch, Mouse, Apoc and Dozer in which Morpheus talked of them as if they had always been a part of his family, you could tell that the pain of their loss weighed heavily on him. No one mentioned Cypher's name, his body had been dumped back in the sewer tunnel. Tank had introduced me to his family and they had taken me in with open arms and open hearts. In a way I wish we where back there again but we have work to do.  
  
   
  
Now I stand in a plaza in the middle of town. I had finished talking to the Matrix and now I was contemplating my next move. Morpheus had reservations about me confronting the Matrix so soon. He still wanted me to take it slow and develop my powers. But I had been insistent, except for the brief period where I confronted Agent Smith I have never fully tested my powers and I couldn't do that in the Construct aboard the Neb.  
  
   
  
I stand in the crowded plaza, with a simple thought I can switch my vision from viewing the Matrix as I have always seen it to how it really is. Green Lines of code run down the sides of buildings like water. I look at the shapes of people covered in the same green code moving about me. I can not only understand the code but I know how to change it at will. With a thought a man's brown suit became blue; a child's ice cream went from chocolate to strawberry.  
  
   
  
I switched my perspective back to normal and walk over to a bench and sit down. I began to contemplate where to go from here. How are my newfound powers going to help these people? Out of the corner of my eye I see a motorcycle leave the street and pull up into the plaza. The rider easily weaves the bike through the crowd and stops right in front of me. As the biker dismounts I can make out the shapely woman's form through the tight riding leathers, as the rider takes off her helmet a long thick blonde braid falls down her back. I start to check her out, she looks like something that Mouse would have come up with. I suddenly stop when I realize that Trinity is monitoring me back on the Neb. The woman looked at me with piercing blue eyes.  
  
   
  
"So you're the great and powerful Neo," she said with a lopsided grin.  
  
   
  
I sit there in stunned silence for a second. I switched my perspective and examined the code that makes up her form. It was remarkably like an Agent but there is also a lot more there. I also started to check her for weapons but realized that there was no place for her to hide a gun. I switched back to normal vision.  
  
   
  
"Who are you?" I asked.  
  
   
  
"You can call me Michelle," she answers, "We need to talk but not here, come with me."  
  
   
  
She remounts the bike and then stares at me with a "Well aren't you coming?" look on her face. I ponder the situation for a second, let's see a very cute Agent like entity wants to take me on a little ride and talk to me, hell why not. As I am about to get up the cell phone in my coat pocket starts to ring. I know it is Morpheus and that he will tell me not to go with her. With a slight wave of my hand the cell phone disappears, Morpheus must be having kittens by now.  
  
   
  
I'm about to take the seat behind her when I hear the squeal of tires behind me. I look to see three dark cars quickly pull into the plaza, people scramble to get out of their way. The cars stop a short distance away and three men in dark suits get out of each car, Agents! Out of the driver's side of the lead car emerges Agent Smith. I'm not that surprised to see him, I'm sure that the Matrix keeps backups. I get myself ready in case they are looking for a fight, I should be able to take on nine Agents all by myself, right? But the Agents do not seem to be interested in me.  
  
   
  
"What are you doing here?" Agent Smith asks the girl in a demanding tone.  
  
   
  
"I'm here to talk to him," she replies tilting her head in my direction.  
  
   
  
"You know the rules, you're not supposed to be here," Smith tells her angrily.  
  
   
  
Michelle smiles, she looks at me and then back to Smith "The rules have changed."  
  
   
  
She turns back to me "Come on we better go."  
  
   
  
I get on the seat behind her while keeping the Agents in sight. I can tell that Smith is furious and his hands are clenched into fists. No sooner had I sat down then Michelle guns the bikes engine to life and spins around so fast that I have to grab on to her tight to keep from being thrown off. As we leave the plaza and turn down the street I look back to see Agent Smith watching us, the other Agents are looking at him as if to seek guidance.  
  
   
  
Michelle takes us on a whirl-wind ride through the city. She speeds recklessly through traffic and stoplights without a hint of slowing down. Now I'm sure that I can't be killed in the Matrix but I still would not want to be broad-sided by a bus. We come to the edge of town and turn down a street I never knew existed. After about a mile we enter a tunnel that I know for a fact was never there before, I also notice there is no other traffic on this road but us. We enter the tunnel and travel for what feels like miles, suddenly there is almost electrical shock that goes through my body and then it is gone.  
  
   
  
"What was that?" a shout over her shoulder.  
  
   
  
"We just left the Matrix," She tells me. "When we get to where we are going, I will fill you in."  
  
   
  
We finally exit on the opposite side and I'm stunned by what I see. We emerge into a beautiful countryside, rolling hills, trees and green fields. The sun shines through clear blue skies and warms my face. We travel along the country road for a while, I begin to relax and a feeling of peace flows through me, something that I have felt in a long time. After a while Michelle slows the bike down and we round a corner to a small town fresh out of a Happy Days episode. The tree lined main street has small shops from a five and dime to a drug store complete with a malt shop. As we travel down the street people on the sidewalk give us a friendly wave or smile. I switch my perspective and decide to check this place out. Again the green code flows over buildings, people and trees down the street. The code is just like that of the Matrix we came from but there is more code here than I would normally see, I switch back to normal. At the end of the street we pull into a diner.  
  
   
  
Michelle shuts down the bike and dismounts.  
  
   
  
"You hungry?" she asks. "I'm starved, this place has the best burgers."  
  
   
  
Curiously I follow her into the dinner. As we enter the patrons greet us with smiles and waves.  
  
   
  
The waitress behind the counter smiles at us "Hi there Michelle, what can I get you?"  
  
   
  
"Tell Frank to make up two of his heart attack specials and how about two of your chocolate shakes," she tells the waitress who scribbles it down on her pad.  
  
   
  
She tears off the order and places it on the window to the kitchen, and rings the bell "Order up."  
  
   
  
An arm a thick as my leg with a hand that could wrap around my head snatches the order slip and disappears back into the kitchen.  
  
   
  
Michelle leads us to a back booth and sits down, I sit opposite of her. She looks at me with the piercing blue eyes. "I bet you have a million questions Neo."  
  
   
  
"Well let's see if I'm up to speed so far. I'm no longer in the Matrix, but now I'm in some sort of Norman Rockwell construct about to eat a burger with an Agent," I tell her.  
  
   
  
"Well that's the abridged version of it," she tells me.  
  
   
  
"So what is that you wanted to talk about?" I ask her.  
  
   
  
"Well Neo, we want to help you destroy the Matrix."  
  
   
  
   
  
To be continued……… 


End file.
